2006 September - SlashGear

Archive for September, 2006

James Clar lighting shop opens for business October 2nd

Chris Davies, Sep 30th 2006 Discuss [1]

Back in 2005 quite a few people got excited by a three-dimensional LED display unit created by art & visuals experts James Clar & Associates. Consisting of a lattice of 1000 white LEDs which could be individually controlled via an attached computer, it was held up as an eye-catching and intriguing promotional tool as well as a new spatial medium for interaction. The demo video of Pong being played in 3D is well worth seeing, and certainly makes you want a Cube of your own. At the time all they would say was that a commercial version was a possibility. Read The Full Story

Making Podcasts more bearable – volume levelling

Chris Davies, Sep 30th 2006 Discuss [0]

We've so far resisted the urge to jump on the podcasting bandwagon here at SlashGear; the market is running close to saturation point with thousands of vocal opinion-junkies clamouring at the ears of the vaguely interested. It can be tricky sifting through the masses of mp3s to find something worth listening to, and the wildly varying recording standards don't do much to help matters. Perhaps most frustrating is when levels of volume don't match up - one pundit is far louder than another, maybe, or intermittent music booms out over everything else - meaning you're constantly twiddling the volume dial like a cheap DJ. Read The Full Story

Virtual Canoe stops short of simulating a soaking

Chris Davies, Sep 30th 2006 Discuss [1]

The last time I got in a canoe I promptly ran it into a rock, capsized and drank what felt like half of a not especially clean river. True story. Something tells me that no matter how real this simulator, I'm not going to be spitting grit and small fish out for a few days after using it; that, to me, is a pro rather than a con. Read The Full Story

Apple Releases OS X 10.4.8 Update

Benjamin Nied, Sep 29th 2006 Discuss [6]

Apple has just taken the wraps off the latest update for OS X, version 10.4.8. Available via Software Update or website download, this marks the eighth (duh) major update for Apple's Tiger operating system According to the Software Update blurb, this 211 MB (for the Intel-only, non-combo version) update fixes a number of features, which you can see for yourself after the jump! Read The Full Story

Panasonic Words Gear e-book squares up to Sony

Chris Davies, Sep 29th 2006 Discuss [0]

You know what this Panasonic girl's hand signal is saying, Sony? It's calling your Reader - and by extension, calling you - a loser. Loser with a capital L, in fact. She's saying that her "Words Gear" e-book has a colour screen and a fancy, touch-sensitive navigation grip. She's probably even casting doubts on your parentage, the cheeky minx. Read The Full Story

Sony E-Book Reader gets price and pre-order

Chris Davies, Sep 29th 2006 Discuss [0]

In the world of the future, we'll all ride on the backs of giant robot weasels, eat food that was grown on Mars and freeze-dried into the shape of Peter Falk's head, and read our books from the flicker-free screens of electronic books. "Electronic books?!" I hear your scoff, "are you a mad person with the brains of a no-brained idiot?" No, sir, I'm not - and Sony are here to back me up. Read The Full Story

T-Mobile “My Faves” offers unlimited cross-network calls

Chris Davies, Sep 29th 2006 Discuss [0]

It's a source of almost constant amazement to me how screwed Americans are when it comes to cellphone calling plans. I mean, what's going on where the network charges you to receive a call?! Still, I guess it gives carriers greater freedom when it comes to rolling out network treats, since the basic service is such a ca$h milker. Enter T-Mobile, stage left, with their "My Faves" plan. Read The Full Story